"Because of the sheer size of the image and the absolute clarity, the amount of digital artistry required was five times anything used in Jurassic Park
"-Director Brett Leonard on the making of T Rex: Back to the Cretaceous

LITTLE VAMPIRE

SYNOPSIS:
When Tony Thompson (Jonathan Lipnicki) moves with his parents from their San Diego home to
Scotland, he has trouble fitting in; he’s ridiculed and bullied, a situation only
made worse by the fact he’s obsessing about vampires. He has vivid dreams about them
and draws images from his dreams. One night, a young vampire Rudolph (Rollo Weeks)
stumbles into his room. Rudolph may look nine, but he’s actually a 300-year-old neck
nipper who’s only allowed to drink cow's blood. Despite a shaky start, the two become
firm friends. Rudolph explains that a mysterious amulet holds the key to allowing his
vampire family to become human again. But before they can even find the amulet, they must
outwit Rookery (Jim Carter) a manic vampire hunter.

"Bram Stoker may be spinning in his grave after the recent spate of lifeless
reincarnations of his classic story (can you say Dracula 2000). Luckily, this cute little
number starring Jerry Maguire’s cute little scene-stealer Jonathan Lipnicki
doesn’t drive a stake though it’s heart. Based on the kids books by Angela
Sommer-Bodenburg, The Little Vampire goes for, well, cute comedy over scares, which is
ambitious considering the subject. It’s like an unholy alliance of kids fantasy,
PG-rated frights, and political correctness, all brought to life by a winning cast and a
cheeky comic spirit. With the "no-biting rule" established early on, plenty of
action, humour, and mild scares keep it cracking. Parents needn’t worry; the violence
is neither overbearing nor insulting to a child's intelligence, though any kind of
intentional violence in a kid’s film sounds to me like some kind of introduction to
violence before graduation to WWF and Schwarzenegger. So while it will appeal more to kids
with a taste for the macabre rather than teddy bears and tank engines, it concentrates on
the simple notion of inner worth over outward appearance. Weeks provides a mature control
to counter Lipnicki's saccharine cuteness, while game adults like Richard E. Grant as the
vampire lord, Alice Krige as the vampire mommy, and Jim Carter as an inventive vampire
hunter all get into the spirit of things. Adult audiences are kept entertained by the now
routine horror references and movie allusions, though they will probably find the
resolution to be wholly unsatisfying. Given his anaemic constraints and underwritten
script, director Uli Edel has crafted a nice little entertainer for school holiday
tykes."Shannon J Harvey

"In an odd way, of all the vampire films in the last 12 months, Little Vampire is
one of the more original. It envisions vampires not as evil or even innate hunters, but as
beings whose existence is so bleak that they’d rather give it up to become human.
Indeed, the film portrays them more as harmless bohemians than bloodthirsty demons. This
is a far cry from Bram Stoker and F W Murnau; but it fits in with this PG re-working of
the legend. The combination of cute kids and the undead is a little off-putting at first,
but eventually moves nicely into the rhythm of the film. If you’re looking for
anything more than standard school-holiday fare from the plot however, you’ll be
disappointed. When things get going, this is quite routine stuff (complete with a nasty
baddie, snotty bullies and the pint-sized hero to save the day). Oh, and there’s some
vampire cows; but let’s not dwell on that. The direction by Ulrich Edel is pedestrian
but the engaging characters do enough to keep it moving along. Lipnicki is well-cast as
the plucky little guy who has to help out his new-found friends. The film plays
relentlessly on his cuteness; but I guess it’s hard to avoid. Rollo Weeks plays
Rudolph with a strangely "stiff upper lip" attitude; but nonetheless works well
with Lipnicki. Richard E Grant has an unenviable role as Rudolph’s father, a mix of
"traditional" vampire and doting father; but manages it with ease. The show is
stolen however by Jim Carter as Rookery. All leather and charms and bad attitude, he
clearly relishes playing the villain. Little Vampire is probably best for 8 –10 year
olds. It offers a few interesting notes, but overall is a stock holiday flick."David Edwards